College basketball standout and social media icon Haley Cavinder made waves at the end of 2023, when it was revealed that she was dating Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson.
While this relationship news heightened Cavinder's online profile, it also garnered her a lot of hate — which took a major toll on the 23-year-old.
During a recent Q&A on the YouTube channel that Haley runs with her twin sister, Hanna, Haley recounted that she had a "mental breakdown" because of what people had to say about her budding relationship.
"I'm a confident girl, but when people are saying stuff about you — if you have a boyfriend and someone is talking about you online with your boyfriend, like coming at your features — I'm like, this is new and obviously Jake is a great guy, but you don't want to be called ugly on the internet 24/7, and your boyfriend sees it," Cavinder said. "That's not going to make anyone feel cool. So I had a mental breakdown."
While it's clear that Cavinder had trouble handling this initial wave of haters, she also noted that she has since transcended any negative sentiment on social media.
"Honestly, I'm very confident and comfortable sharing my relationship because Jake was very loud about it," Cavinder said.
Cavinder went on about her boyfriend's support: "He was always like that, so it made me feel very comfortable and confident sharing him as well. ... He's a big part of my life and will continue, so it's not something that I [want to] keep private. I go to Cowboys games, and he'll be at my games."
That last sentence would have been confusing just a few months ago, because both Cavinder twins (who were each playing for the University of Miami) announced back in April 2023 that they'd be retiring from college basketball in favor of a "new chapter."
However, Haley has since put an end to her retirement, declaring in November that she'll be transferring to TCU and playing for the Horned Frogs basketball team.
While TCU could really use Cavinder right now — given that it had to hold open tryouts last week after forfeiting two games due to a string of injuries — she isn't eligible to play for them until 2025.
When Cavinder has her TCU debut next season, it sounds as if we can expect to see her NFL star boyfriend spectating from the stands.
